The Real Facts About Sustainable Cloth Diapers

This post is part of the Real Diaper Facts carnival hosted by Real Diaper Events, the official blog of the Real Diaper Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to cloth diaper education. Participants were asked to write about diaper lies and real diaper facts. See the list at the bottom of this post to read the rest of the carnival entries.

Cloth diapering has become a normal way of life in our household. We have been cloth diapering since the Bubby was 2 weeks old and we haven't looked back. The decision to cloth diaper was initially made for financial reasons, but it quickly became clear that cloth sustainable diapers were not only great for our wallet, but they were healthier for my baby, and better for the environment as well.

The reactions I get from people when they find out that I use cloth diapers has been very interesting. Sometimes I am met with great interest and enthusiasm when they see how easy modern cloth diapers are. Most of the time though people think I'm crazy. The reason, I believe, is that there is a lot of misinformation out there about sustainable diapers.

A lot of this misinformation has been put out there by disposable diaper manufacturers. And unfortunately it seems like they are just making things up. A perfect example is this page from the Pampers website.

Honestly, if someone wants to use disposable diapers that is their choice and I'm not going to make up lies about disposables to change their mind. But, I will offer some facts about cloth diapers to help them see the benefits of using real sustainable diapers; the benefits for your wallet, your child's health, and the environment.

Disposable Diapers vs Cloth Diapers

Fact: Using cloth diapers can save you money.
You can buy 24 diapers that would last from birth to potty training. I have calculated the cost for many different brands and types of diapers and it ranges from a mere $215 to over $850. According to The Real Diaper Association, the estimated cost of disposable diapers for the first 2 years is $1600! And how many kids do you know that are actually out of diapers in 2 years?

Fact: Cloth diapers are better for my baby.
Some of the chemicals in disposable diapers include dioxin, tributyl-tin, and sodium polyacrylate. Dioxin is a carcinogenic chemical listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. Tributyl-tin (TBT) is a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals. And sodium polyacrylate, the super absorbent stuff, used to be in tampons until it was revealed that it increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.

My conclusion is this: a cloth diaper without all of those chemicals HAS to be better for my baby.

Fact: Modern cloth diapers keep babies dry and comfortable.
One argument that disposable diaper manufacturers try to use is that disposable diapers keep babies skin dryer and more comfortable than sustainable cloth diapers by reducing leaks and locking wetness inside the diaper in a way that cloth doesn't. They claim that this has resulted in a decreased frequency of diaper rash as seen before disposable diapers existed.

The fact is, modern cloth diapers are nothing like their earlier counterparts. Gone are the days of plain cotton prefolds with plastic pants. According to The Real Diaper Association, diaper rash was unheard of before the use of rubber or plastic pants in the 1940's. Modern cloth diapers are breathable and are available with stay dry inners. And try to tell me that wearing a scratchy paper disposable diaper is more comfortable than a soft cloth sustainable diaper.

Fact: Modern cloth diapers are easy to use.
Modern cloth diapers are very similar to disposables, except you wash and reuse them. Gone are the days of pins and plastic pants. There are so many cloth diaper options available today, many with velcro. If you can use a disposable diaper, you can use modern cloth diapers.

Fact: Cloth diapers are better for the environment than disposables.
There are naysayers that want to claim that sustainable cloth diapers are not any better for the environment (because of the water used to wash them) than disposables, but that is just not true. The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth. Disposable diapers also generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, including crude oil and wood pulp.

An estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers are used every year in the U.S. and 92% of them end up in landfills. That's a lot of disposable diapers in landfills! All of that disposable diaper waste just sitting there full of chemicals and human waste, which leaches into our water systems. Just sitting there, for the next who knows how many years. No one knows how long because one has yet to decompose!

But yet, disposable diaper manufacturers like to refer to a flawed impact study that claimed that the impact of cloth diapers and disposable diapers was equal.

Honestly, how can there be any comparison? A "disposable" diaper, full of chemicals and non-decomposing materials that is used one time versus a real sustainable cloth diaper that can be used over and over for not only one baby, but for multiple babies, and then can be used as a cleaning rag. It seems like a no-brainer to me.

Do your own research. See what you discover. But most of all, use your common sense.

Update 5/21: Apparently, Pampers couldn't take the heat. They have deleted their "Myths" about cloth diapers page. Tsk, tsk! Don't mess with us cloth diapering mama's! :)